PDA

View Full Version : 8-bit Google Maps for the NES/Famicom?


treismac
03-31-2012, 06:45 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rznYifPHxDg&list=UUK8sQmJBp8GCxrOtXWBpyEA&index=3&feature=plcp

Surely this is a April Fool's Day Joke. There is indeed an online version, but I doubt there will ever be a cartridge version with a modem. :roll:
Parodius Duh!
03-31-2012, 06:58 PM
Like I said on Famicomworld, my only beef is they keep referring to NES and clearly its a Famicom set up. In my defense if anyone responds with "Its aimed at an English speaking audience" well, then they should have filmed it in the US and used a NES Cart and System. Use the correct information or do not use it at all.


.....The over abundance of undereducated morons commenting on it is amazing. "Durrrrrp duh its not April." They must have skipped the 4th grade Time Zone lesson.
treismac
03-31-2012, 07:14 PM
Like I said on Famicomworld, my only beef is they keep referring to NES and clearly its a Famicom set up. In my defense if anyone responds with "Its aimed at an English speaking audience" well, then they should have filmed it in the US and used a NES Cart and System. Use the correct information or do not use it at all.


.....The over abundance of undereducated morons commenting on it is amazing. "Durrrrrp duh its not April." They must have skipped the 4th grade Time Zone lesson.

To me, Parodius Duh!, the best way for Google to make this obvious April Fool's Day Prank a real prank is to actually make the cartridge. Who'd see that coming?

Besides the obvious awesomeness of an 8-bit Google maps for the Famicom/NES, you know what makes me really, really happy about this prank? It shows that a large corporation that deals with the interests of people (i.e. search engine) thinks that a retro video game reference joke has enough appeal to entertain a large enough chunk of the masses. Seriously. Think about this. It could mean that the Big N might one day consider re-releasing the Famicom and NES with built-in games like Atari did with the 2600 (VCS) and Sega did with the Genesis. Why not? There is evidently a big enough market. Even collectors/gamers who have the original hardware and the Wii's Virtual Console version of their favorites might find it hard to resist a re-release of their favorite system, or actual new releases on the system by big time developers like Konami or Capcom or Nintendo themselves.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but to me, this says that retro gaming is not quite as niche as I had previously thought. Yes, I am sure that gamers on this forum take retro gaming a bit further than most gamers, but perhaps retro gaming is more of a viable commodity on the video game market than I thought.

Beyond mere speculation, does anyone know if it is possible to find out how many Virtual Console games have sold? Looking at how many of their top 5 games sold would be a pretty damn good way to determine the strength of the retro market. How many New 2600s sold would be a semi-decent indicator too, but not as good. I'm sorry, but many of the 1st party Atari games built into the system are beyond passable. Anyway...

But, yeah... Famicom Google Maps rocks my pixelated socks! :D
Parodius Duh!
03-31-2012, 07:51 PM
It is nice to see the vintage Famicom reference in a major, MAJOR world dominating companies commercial. Who knows, Japan has had a ton of merchandise produced off of little commercials and whatnot, maybe we could see a limited run of carts. They would certainly sell even if they were like $250 a pop. Hell Id buy it.
Tupin
03-31-2012, 08:02 PM
How weird that they would use a Famicom in a video obviously designed for an English-speaking audience. I think they do mention somewhere else it is Japan-only, though.
megasdkirby
03-31-2012, 08:09 PM
It would be funny if on April Fools, they actually sell a few, REAL copies of the game. Then since most thought it was an April Fool's joke, in reality those who did not believe it and lost out on the game are the actual fools!

Because of this, I'm going to fall victim to the prank tomorrow. :)
Tupin
03-31-2012, 08:19 PM
There was going to be a modem for the NES, and I could swear people have run Google Maps on low power computers before.
Parodius Duh!
03-31-2012, 08:33 PM
There was going to be a modem for the NES, and I could swear people have run Google Maps on low power computers before.

and there already is a modem for the Famicom.....
jb143
03-31-2012, 08:56 PM
Not NES or Google, but I could swear there was a Gameboy maps "game". A quick search hasn't turned up anything though.
Superman
03-31-2012, 10:19 PM
I'm sure the cartridge is just a joke, but the video certainly is entertaining.

I did the google map quest and the 8 bit, 3D street view. That was pretty cool too!
treismac
03-31-2012, 10:22 PM
Not NES or Google, but I could swear there was a Gameboy maps "game". A quick search hasn't turned up anything though.

Your comment knocked some dust off of my memory. I think I recall reading about this in Nintendo Power many moons ago. My cursory Google search has netted nothing as well, unfortunately.
madman77
03-31-2012, 11:17 PM
Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but to me, this says that retro gaming is not quite as niche as I had previously thought.
Remembering games vs. being interested in playing them in 2012 is a different thing. Of course anyone who grew up with a NES remembers it, but that doesn't mean they want to play the games today.
MarioMania
04-01-2012, 12:04 AM
That prob fit Japan the Google Cart..
dgdgagdae
04-01-2012, 12:23 AM
http://www.youtube.com/user/Google?feature=watch

Surely this is a April Fool's Day Joke. There is indeed an online version, but I doubt there will ever be a cartridge version with a modem. :roll:

So you really thought it might be a real product?

Great video. I love the look on the family's face when they first turn it on.
treismac
04-01-2012, 01:42 AM
So you really thought it might be a real product?

Great video. I love the look on the family's face when they first turn it on.

Thought? Hmmm... Nay. Hoped. Dearly hoped and still hope. The more impossible the dream is to obtain, the sweeter it is, right?
treismac
04-01-2012, 01:45 AM
Remembering games vs. being interested in playing them in 2012 is a different thing. Of course anyone who grew up with a NES remembers it, but that doesn't mean they want to play the games today.

I totally agree, but there must be some money being made on retro video games nostalgia since Atari (or the company that owns the brand) has released multiple versions of the new 2600 with built in games. I can't see them doing it again and again if each time it lost money.
o.pwuaioc
04-01-2012, 02:26 AM
Certainly one of my favorite Google pranks! Sad thing is, unlike many of the others, I really do want this and think it could technically be feasible!
InsaneDavid
04-01-2012, 03:24 AM
Of course a Famicom is used in the prank because of the mic on the second control pad. Anyway, great one this year but my favorite thus far is this that the SAGCCX Team is suspected to be behind...

http://www.classicplastic.net/junk/GCCXaf.jpg
markusman64ds
04-01-2012, 09:36 AM
Introducing: Google Fiber!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re0VRK6ouwI&feature=relmfu

Google just loves April 1st.
Gunstar Hero
04-01-2012, 11:05 AM
Hahaha oh google, how I would love to work for you some day :)
Gunstar Hero
04-01-2012, 11:07 AM
If someone could get it as a ROM perhaps they could convert it to a cartridge. It wouldn't work at all unless you somehow connected it to the internet, but it would still be neat.
markusman64ds
04-01-2012, 11:32 AM
If someone could get it as a ROM perhaps they could convert it to a cartridge. It wouldn't work at all unless you somehow connected it to the internet, but it would still be neat.

http://cache.ohinternet.com/images/thumb/7/73/JeanLucPicardFacepalm.jpg/618px-JeanLucPicardFacepalm.jpg

The gameplay video looks very fake. Take a closer look and you will see. I bet that cartridge is only lights and a dial-up port that doesn't even work. I have trouble loading Google Maps on my high-speed connection.

Just assuming that you aren't fooling :)
jb143
04-02-2012, 10:56 AM
Your comment knocked some dust off of my memory. I think I recall reading about this in Nintendo Power many moons ago. My cursory Google search has netted nothing as well, unfortunately.

If my memory serves me correctly, my uncle had one. He probably ordered it from the back of an electronics magazine since he collected random things like that. I wonder how rare it is. Does anyone else have any knowledge of it?
o.pwuaioc
04-02-2012, 12:47 PM
http://cache.ohinternet.com/images/thumb/7/73/JeanLucPicardFacepalm.jpg/618px-JeanLucPicardFacepalm.jpg

The gameplay video looks very fake. Take a closer look and you will see. I bet that cartridge is only lights and a dial-up port that doesn't even work. I have trouble loading Google Maps on my high-speed connection.

Just assuming that you aren't fooling :)

But the "Quest" version was real (it's no longer up now), and it's actually technically possible to make this work.
markusman64ds
04-02-2012, 01:01 PM
But the "Quest" version was real (it's no longer up now), and it's actually technically possible to make this work.

But Google didn't make an actual ROM for Famicom/NES. I'm not saying that it's impossible to make, I'm just saying it hasn't been made yet.
o.pwuaioc
04-02-2012, 01:38 PM
But Google didn't make an actual ROM for Famicom/NES. I'm not saying that it's impossible to make, I'm just saying it hasn't been made yet.

Right, right, right, no one's doubting that. If anyone did make such a cart, tho, I'd buy it.
treismac
04-08-2012, 11:08 PM
It's gone!

:bawling:

Why would they do that?

Oh, wait, wait! It's still here (http://maps.google.com/?t=8&utm_campaign=8bit&utm_source=yt). Should we start a petition for Google to make this happen on the actual hardware or do you think our time would be better spent as a retro video game community trying to petition Nintendo to release Earthbound on the Virtual Console? ;)
o.pwuaioc
04-09-2012, 12:56 AM
It's gone!

:bawling:

Why would they do that?

Oh, wait, wait! It's still here (http://maps.google.com/?t=8&utm_campaign=8bit&utm_source=yt). Should we start a petition for Google to make this happen on the actual hardware or do you think our time would be better spent as a retro video game community trying to petition Nintendo to release Earthbound on the Virtual Console? ;)

Earthbound isn't worth it. I say let's go for Google!